Sergei Orlov, the deputy mayor of Mariupol, detailed the scene in the besieged port city as Ukrainian officials try to help those still inside and evacuate citizens who have fled to surrounding areas.
“The city is totally destroyed. City is like ruins … we’re upset, not because of infrastructure, but because of people. So we do not know how to help our citizens who are suffering inside the city,” he said during an interview with CNN’s Ana Cabrera. “Russia does not allow to solve any humanitarian issue, to transfer any humanitarian help and to make evacuation of our citizens for many days.”
The official explained where things stand in evacuation efforts and the most recent mission to evacuate Mariupol citizens who are in nearby areas.
“Once again, I want to clarify, there is no solution to reach Mariupol, either humanitarian help, either evacuate citizens,” Orlov noted. “We are talking about evacuating Mariupol citizens who are in Berdyansk, who are near Mariupol, nearest villages…who reached Berdyansk themselves either by walking, either on private cars. A lot of Mariupol citizens made evacuation themselves and it’s about 30-50,000 Mariupol citizens that are in Berdyansk and nearest villages at the moment.”
“So this mission helps us and made possible to evacuate Mariupol citizens from Berdyansk to Zaporizhzhia. It’s very good. It’s absolutely necessary,” he said, noting that 45 buses were evacuated with more than 2,000 citizens, including 710 children.
With regards to those still in Mariupol, among the most pressing concerns is nutrition, said Orlov, as aid groups including the Red Cross have struggled to reach the city with food and supplies.
An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team traveling to Mariupol said Friday that they were…
Source : cnn
